Neymar helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores; the latter being Santos' first since 1963.
47 Facts About Neymar
2.
Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona.
3.
Neymar finished third for the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2015 and 2017, has been awarded the FIFA Puskas Award, has been named in the FIFA FIFPro World11 twice, the UEFA Team of the Year twice, and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season three times.
4.
In 2003, Neymar moved with his family to Sao Vicente, where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista.
5.
Neymar began playing football at an early age and he was spotted by Santos who offered him a contract in 2003, where he was inducted into their youth academy, which has, in the past, produced Brazilian internationals like Coutinho, Clodoaldo, Diego, Elano and Alex.
6.
Neymar made his professional debut on 7 March 2009, despite being only 17 years old.
7.
In December 2010, aged just 18, Neymar came third for the 2010 South American Footballer of the Year, behind Andres D'Alessandro and Juan Sebastian Veron.
8.
On 5 February 2012, when he turned 20, Neymar scored his 100th goal as a professional football player, against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista.
9.
Neymar finished the 2012 Campeonato Paulista with 20 goals and was voted the Best player and Best Forward, and Santos were crowned champions.
10.
Neymar finished the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A with 14 goals and being voted the Best forward.
11.
Neymar finished the 2012 season, being award the Golden Ball, Arthur Friedenreich Award and Armando Nogueira Trophy.
12.
Neymar was one of three finalists in the 2012 FIFA Puskas Award and finished runners-up behind Miroslav Stoch.
13.
Neymar won the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, retaining his award and winning it ahead of the likes of Ronaldinho.
14.
On 25 April 2013, his agent and father revealed that Neymar intended to leave for Europe before the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
15.
On 3 June 2013, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018.
16.
Barcelona's attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, dubbed "MSN", ended with 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history.
17.
On 30 November, Neymar was shortlisted for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or alongside Messi and Ronaldo, and subsequently came third.
18.
Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that would run until 2022.
19.
Neymar suffered a foot injury in late January 2019 that kept him out of his side's Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United.
20.
On 27 April 2019, Neymar scored in the 2019 Coupe de France Final against Rennes, but Rennes made a comeback and won on penalties.
21.
In July 2019, Neymar was absent from training with PSG, with the club talking disciplinary action.
22.
Neymar helped PSG win their record-tying 10th national championship, finishing the season with 13 goals and 8 assists across all competitions, registering the fewest goals scored since arriving in Europe in 2013, in a season marked by various injuries and collective irregularity.
23.
On 6 March 2023, PSG announced that Neymar would undergo surgery in Doha and would be ruled out for the remainder of the season.
24.
On 26 July 2010, Neymar was selected for the first time in the Brazil senior team by new head coach Mano Menezes for a friendly match against the United States to be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
25.
Neymar took part at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, where he scored two goals in the first-round game against Ecuador.
26.
On 11 May 2012, Neymar was selected for the squad of the Brazil Olympic football team to participate in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
27.
Neymar was selected as part of Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup on home soil.
28.
Neymar's performances saw him receive the Golden Ball for player of the tournament.
29.
On 5 March 2014, Neymar scored a hat-trick in a friendly win against South Africa in Johannesburg.
30.
On 2 June, Neymar was named in the Brazil squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
31.
Many critics agreed that Neymar's punishment was too lenient and that he should have been issued a red card.
32.
In May 2018, Neymar was named in Tite's final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
33.
In May 2019, Neymar was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa America on home soil.
34.
On 7 November 2022, Neymar was named in the Brazil squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
35.
Neymar's dribbling skills, tricks and playmaking ability have been described as reminiscent of compatriot Ronaldinho.
36.
Neymar has a son, Davi Lucca, born on 13 August 2011, with former girlfriend Carolina Dantas.
37.
Neymar supported Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election.
38.
On 8 May 2013, Neymar was rated by SportsPro magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
39.
Neymar starred in a 2014 advert for Beats with other global football stars including Thierry Henry and Luis Suarez, with the theme of 'The Game Before The Game' and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music.
40.
Neymar was featured on the front covers of the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 on the North American version, after Konami Digital Entertainment announced that he had joined Pro Evolution Soccer.
41.
Neymar appeared on the cover of Time magazine in February 2013, the first Brazilian athlete to do so.
42.
The title read "A Crucificacao de Neymar" and subtitled: "the Brazilian ace turns scapegoat in a sport where everyone plays dirty".
43.
In March 2015, Neymar had the fourth highest social media rank in the world among sportspeople, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham, with 52 million Facebook fans.
44.
In ESPN's list of active sportspeople in 2016, Neymar was ranked the fourth most famous athlete in the world.
45.
In November 2014, Neymar appeared in FIFA's "11 against Ebola" campaign with a selection of top football players from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Xavi and Didier Drogba.
46.
Neymar was the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary series titled Neymar: The Perfect Chaos.
47.
In 2013, Neymar appeared on a rap music video, "Pais do Futebol" by MC Guime.